The Brothers
by matthewsbj
Summary: Takes place shortly after Trey is released from prison (The Brothers Grimm (2x17)). A completely different Trey then what we saw; one that would have been better for Ryan. It also shows Sandy and Kirsten as united couple/parents, and not how divided they seemed to be in the latter half of the second season. I've decided to continue this series.
1. Chapter 1

Trey is very out of character here, but that is the fun of fanfiction.

* * *

Seth, Ryan and Trey were all in the den attacking each other virtually. Kirsten was in the kitchen getting everything ready for dinner, which would be delivered soon. She smiled to herself at the noises coming from the other room. Normally, she would be on the boys to keep the volume at a reasonable level. This time, however, she didn't mind the gleeful shouts of the victor or the indignant cries of the victim. It had only been a few days since Trey's release from prison, and it seemed as though her initial fear of how it would affect Ryan was exaggerated. Ryan seemed truly happy that he had his biological brother nearby and that Trey seemed to be doing relatively well. Seth also seemed to be adjusting well to their new house guest. She happened to glance at the clock and she was brought back to the present.

"Boys! Dinner will be here any minute. Why don't you all go wash up for dinner?" she called from the kitchen.

Seth was the first to respond. "Ok, Mom. Just give me a few seconds to finish kicking Trey's as… um, butt," he quickly corrected.

She shook her head ruefully as she went back to the kitchen to finish getting things ready for dinner. She had to admit to herself that she felt a little nervous with Trey in the house. She and Sandy had talked about how they were going to handle the situation when they found out that Trey was going to be released. They knew Ryan wanted to try and rebuild the somewhat fractured relationship he had with his brother, and they knew the best, safest way to do that was under their watchful eye.

With all of that in mind, they invited Trey into their home. While the past few days had gone without incident, she was still unsure of how to act around him. She truly thought of Ryan as her son, and so there was a little bit of her that was nervous about how Trey would react to all of her mothering. She and Sandy thought that having family dinners, all 5 of them, would help to alleviate some of the weirdness they had picked up from everyone the last few days. Tonight was going to be the first, and so she wanted everything to go well.

A moment or two later, the doorbell rang as Sandy was making his way into the kitchen. He answered the door and picked up the food that was delivered. Bringing it in to the kitchen, he called into the den, "All right, fellas. Dinner's here. Turn that off, and come and get it."

They heard a couple of grumbles, mostly from Seth, come from the den. The TV did get turned off, though, as they all made their way into the kitchen to get their food. Kirsten was at the island helping with the food. Ryan was the first to get to the counter and start to fill his plate. When he got closer to Kirsten, she couldn't help but reach up to push the shaggy bangs out of his eyes.

She told him, "It looks like someone needs a haircut. I'll call and make you guys an appointment with Markos."

Ryan could help but groan and roll his eyes. "Markos?! Do you have to?" He knew he was practically whining, but the few times that Kirsten forced him to go to her hair stylist he found he hated the trips. "I know he's always checking me out. He gives me the willies!"

"Yeah, Mom. After all, Markos isn't exactly qualified to touch a perfect specimen of hair like this," Seth replied, while running his fingers through his dark locks. He really didn't enjoy the trips to his mother's hair dresser, either.

Turning towards Sandy, to try and get his support, Ryan continued, "Can't we just to a regular barber shop?!"

Sandy put his arms up in surrender, then picked up his food, and made his way over to the table as he said, "Hey, guys, don't look at me." Once he was seated, he continued, "Unfortunately, I've been dragged to your mother's hair… person… so many times, I don't think I even know what the inside of a barber shop looks like anymore."

After everyone else had their food and was seated at the table, Kirsten brought a pitcher of iced tea over to the table and started filling the glasses. After filling Ryan's glass, he looked at her and said, "Thanks, Mo..., oh, I mean, Kirsten." Ryan caught himself, but it was already out there. He blushed a deep red, while everyone at the table stopped in their tracks. Ryan refused to look at anyone, staring intently at his plate. He had even thought about retreating to the pool house.

Seth and Sandy kept looking between Kirsten, Ryan, and Trey while holding their breath awaiting the fallout. Kirsten kept watching Trey for his reaction. Trey, however, was looking at Ryan, with an amazing amount of thoughtfulness. After a couple of minutes, Trey put his fork down and leaned back in his chair.

"You know what, Ry, it's ok. I've learned a few things over the last couple of years. And while I've only been around you and Cohen's for a few days, I've discovered something." He waited for Ryan to look at him and when he didn't, Trey tapped his arm to get his attention. "You know what I've discovered? You've got a family, man!"

Sandy carefully studied Trey's face to try and judge his sincerity. He was somewhat startled to realize that Trey was being honest. This didn't seem to be quite the troubled young man he had read about. When he found out Trey was going to be released from prison, and the potential threat to Ryan would skyrocket, he had called in a couple favors and got a copy of Trey's record. It was a rather extensive read, involving multiple run-ins with the law for various reasons and reports of alleged physical abuse that were never investigated. He hadn't said anything about what he had read to Kirsten; he didn't want to needlessly upset her at this point. However, he was more determined to keep a close eye on the young man, especially around Ryan. After the last couple of days, however, he was beginning to think that the system had actually worked for someone.

Sandy glanced at Kirsten and he unconsciously smiled. She hadn't switched into The Kirsten yet, but she was in Full-Mother mode, watching Ryan's reaction and making sure that Trey was on the level. It wasn't anything that the boys could pick up on yet, but he'd known her for long enough to know when she was on full alert. Another reason why he loved her so much!

Ryan screwed his face up in confusion, so Trey continued. "Come on, man. You know Dawn wasn't a mother; and Frank wasn't a father, even when he was around. The only thing that came close to a normal relationship was what you and I had. And I nearly threw it all away."

Ryan tried to reassure his brother. "Trey, you didn't…."

But he didn't get the chance. Trey held up his finger to stop Ryan. "Yes, I did, little brother. And I am so thankful that you still want me around you."

Ryan again tried to protest, "Trey…"

But that was all he was able to get out. Trey again interrupted him, a little bit more forcefully to emphasize his point, "First, I get you arrested. And then with what happened when you visited me a couple of Thanksgivings ago…., I never thought you would see me again." Although he left out any details, Ryan still shot daggers at him. He was afraid that Trey would let slip with some details about that little adventure that he was sure the Cohen's would want to know more about, even after almost 2 years.

However, it did pique Kirsten's curiosity. "Wait. What about Thanksgiving?"

Trey actually smiled at that. "And that right there is another good example. These people care about you; they want to know what is going on in your life. That is what parents are supposed to do." He turned and looked at Sandy and Kirsten with a meaningful look, "And now it looks like you have some pretty good parents." Then turning to Seth, he took a deep breath and said, "And you have a pretty great brother, whose example, I can hopefully follow." He kept eye contact with Seth for a second longer and they nodded to each other, Seth having a new appreciation for Ryan's older brother.

He turned back to Ryan for a couple of seconds with his eyebrows arched to know that Ryan understood what he was saying.

He then turned his attention back to the elder Cohens. "As much to Ryan, I owe you my thanks. Not only for taking care of him so well, but also letting me be around him for the last few days. I've enjoyed being able to start repairing our relationship. I've also realized how much I had taken our relationship for granted before. As you already know, Ryan's a great guy; and I didn't appreciate it, until now. I would like to be back in Ryan's life, but I understand that you guys probably have some reservations about that. Whatever terms you put on the table, I will follow. I know I'll need a job and get a place of my own. But whatever else it takes, just tell me. Even if it's staying away from him until you can trust me."

Ryan was about to speak up to balk about that last bit, but again Trey cut him off. "No, Ry. _I_ have to do this. I want to be a part of your life again, but I have to go through your folks."

That wasn't the first time in the last few minutes that Trey had referred to the Cohens as his parents, and although he obviously was really starting to look at them as his parents, hearing someone else refer to them like that, especially Trey, was kind of weird. But he supposed he had been thinking about it on different levels for long enough, that is was sounding more natural the more it was being said out loud.

Both Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other and sighed heavily. Kirsten was glad that she had married Sandy, especially at times like this. They loved each other so deeply, they often times knew what each other was thinking just by reading each other's faces. It was helpful in a lot of situations, as they didn't have to deliberate as much or talk over things; they were able to know if they were in agreement just by looking at each other. And this was just one of those occasions; she knew that he was in agreement with her, and they could provide a united front. Despite that unity, she was still glad that Sandy decided to start speaking for them; after all, he was the lawyer and knew how to talk.

"Let me start, Trey, by saying that we agree on several things. First of all, Ryan is a part of our family, and very important part of that family. You're right in that he is our son. However, that will never change your relationship with him."

Kirsten added, "We can tell how much you two care for each other. I can tell Ryan has enjoyed the last few days having you around again." She glanced and Ryan and give him a wink. He smiled shyly back and his face tinted a little bit with the knowledge that she was able to read him so well. He must be slipping; he thought he could hide his feelings better. Or maybe he didn't have to anymore….

Sandy sighed again as he continued, "But, you're also right in that you don't have the best track record with making sound decisions. That being said, I do believe you mean what you said; you want to change your life around for the better." He reached over and laced his fingers through Kirsten's. "And we have no problem in helping you do just that, as long as we are sure that you are not putting Ryan in any danger."

Trey nodded fervently, "I understand. I won't put Ryan an any more danger. I don't want to screw up anymore."

Kirsten took a moment to look at her entwined hand with Sandy's and then glanced at him as an idea came to her. She turned back to Trey, "I think a job is an excellent first step. I think that I can come up with something at the Newport Group. It won't be anything glamourous, but we always need filing to be done and errands ran."

Seth was the first to speak up about that, "What about Grandpa? Is he going to be ok with that?"

Ryan was hot on his tails, "Yeah, you know how he feels about me. How's he going to feel about Baby Face Nelson over here?"

Kirsten was overjoyed at the fact that Ryan was starting to feel better about the situation where he could start joking with his brother, especially about the incident that brought everyone to this point now.

Trey was apparently eager to lighten the mood, as well. "Hey, I never shot anyone! And if there's anyone with a baby face…." He took a moment to glance over at Seth and study his face. "Yeah, no offense Seth, but Ry, you've got the baby face around here." And he punctuated his ribbing by reaching over and pinching Ryan's cheek, only to receive an epic glare from Ryan.

With Ryan's glare quieting the room, Kirsten was able to get the boys' attention again. "You guys let me worry about your grandfather. It's about time I starting defending you more to him. Trey, I'll also talk with someone on our residential side and see what apartments are available."

Sandy added, "Until we can find something, you are more than welcome to stay here."

Kirsten then continued, "In face, why don't we move you out of the pool house and up to one of the rooms upstairs, and that will be your room. And Ryan, why don't you move upstairs next to him, and across from Seth. That way, you can all be together"

Ryan was happy about the suggestion, if nothing else, because they wanted him to be "closer" to their family. But, he really liked the pool house. He might have to really think hard about that. But before he could say anything, Trey cut into his thoughts.

"I can't do that. It's too much, you've already done so much. I'd never be able to thank you enough or repay you!"

Sandy told him, "Hey, you're a part of the family now. But if you do want to pay us back, then live up to what you just told us. Turn your life around, and be a person worthy of being Ryan's brother." He emphasized his point by arching his eyebrows.

Trey was virtually speechless. He was clearly touched by what the Cohens were offering him. "I'll try," was all he could say.

Kirsten understood what he was going through and reached over the table and patted his hand. "That's all we ask of Seth and Ryan; to try."

It seemed like Trey and Ryan were all talked out, and the conversation had come to a close. Everyone was kind of looking at each other a little awkwardly.

Sandy finally turned to Ryan, "Now, what was this about something happening at Thanksgiving…."


	2. Epilogue

Takes place about 2 weeks after the first part.

I had originally intended to include part of this in the last chapter, but forgot to add it. It just occurred to me to write an epilogue to include it.

* * *

It was a late Monday afternoon. Kirsten held a cup of tea, looking out the patio door, watching her three boys. " _My boys? When did I start thinking of Trey as one of my boys?"_ , she thought to herself, as she smiled. It seemed so natural now. Both she and Sandy had commented on the lessened tension in the house since their discussion a couple of weeks ago regarding Trey's place in their home and family. They hadn't noticed it before, but now that it was gone, it's presence was apparent. The more time she spent with Trey, the more she realized that it was he that influenced Ryan's personality so much. The incident that landed both boys in her home at this moment seemed to be nothing more than stupid decisions boys make sometimes.

It seemed as though Trey was still very serious about proving himself to her and Sandy. Even now, she watched Trey cleaning the pool. He had decided to take on that particular chore. She had to smile, too, at the interaction between Trey, Ryan, and Seth. Trey was in the pool moving slowly vacuuming the bottom, Ryan was sitting on the edge with his feet and legs dangling in the water, and Seth was reading a comic on one of the loungers. As she watched them, she saw Seth periodically peer over his comic to catch Ryan's eye and give him a signal. When Trey had his back turned, Ryan would kick water at his older brother. Trey would simply turn around and chide Ryan about needing to keep the water calm to clean it effectively. Then he would round on Seth for egging on his brother. But even Kirsten could see the corners of his mouth tugging upwards into a smile. It was apparent that all her boys, _yes, all three of her boys_ , were happy to have each other around.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the ringing of the phone. After answering it, she went out onto the patio. "Ok, guys. What do we want for dinner? Your father will pick it up on his way home from work." After talking about different options, they decided on Italian. "Ok. I'll go place our order. It should be here in about 30 minutes or so. Start getting cleaned up for dinner."

Trey turned to her, "But I'm only about half-way finished. It will probably take me about half-an-hour to finish up."

She looked in the pool at the great job he was doing. "Well, it looks really good to me. You can finish up later. Your father will be home soon. All three of you, go. Clean up." All three of them started to scatter. They were smart enough not to question her when her sentences started getting really short. It was only as an afterthought that she realized she specifically referred to Sandy as Trey's father. If he noticed, he didn't show any reaction, at least a negative one. She made a mental note to be more watchful and talk with Sandy about it later.

Indeed, about 30 minutes the now-expanded Cohen clan sat around the kitchen table with their food. Looking at his family, Sandy asked, "So, what did you guys do today?"

Throwing a proud smile at Trey, Kirsten answered, "Trey cleaned the pool today." As his face reddened a bit, her smile deepened.

He dipped his head a bit at her praise, "Well, I wasn't able to finish it. I'll take care of it after dinner."

She told him, "Trey, I told you, it's fine for now. You guys should have fun this evening."

Trey looked at her and Sandy seriously, "I haven't forgotten my promise from our talk. I want to stay busy, and I like being out in the pool."

"Well, thanks again, Trey, for helping out. Kirsten and I appreciate it", Sandy told him.

Trey's mentioning their conversation a couple of weeks ago reminded Kirsten of something. "Oh, Trey, I almost forgot. I spoke with HR today and they will process your paperwork first thing tomorrow morning, which means you can start probably Wednesday or Thursday. We can go by the bank tomorrow and make sure that you have all the accounts that you'll need."

Trey looked up at her in confusion. "Bank accounts?"

"Yeah. Payroll will need your banking information for direct deposit."

"Wait. I'm going to get paid?" Trey's confusion was still evident.

"Well, of course you are. I'm sorry, honey, if I didn't explain that earlier. We'll shift you through some of the different departments to get you broader experience. We've got some admins that could use some help scanning in contracts to a central database."

"So, I'm going to be sitting at a computer all day, scanning stuff?" He still seemed a little confused.

"I know it's not the most exciting or glamorous, but if it gets too boring, just come by my office."

Trey was surprised that that's what she was worried about. "No, that's not what I meant. I thought I would be working outside, especially with my background. I didn't realize I would be inside working on a computer. And getting paid for it. That will be just fine."

Kirsten smiled at that. "Good. I'll see if I can't get some paperwork to bring home that you can look through to get ready for your first day."

Seth had been sitting to the side watching the conversation and quietly (as hard as it was for him) eating his meal. He was enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere around the house. But there was a question that had been bugging him for a couple of weeks now, since their "discussion", as he called it.

Since Trey and Kirsten had both somewhat referred to it, he saw this as his chance, "I do have a question about the 'discussion'." Ryan shuddered a little bit, only imaging what was on Seth's mind. He refused to look at anything but his plate. Seth was trying to get Ryan's attention, but he couldn't get him to raise his head. He continued undeterred, "When is Ryan going to start calling you guys Mom and Dad, too?"

"Seth!" was the stereo reply from both Sandy and Kirsten, not sure what else to say.

"What? Like you guys haven't been asking the same question yourselves?!"

Sandy and Kirsten both looked at each other for a second, as Sandy somewhat sheepishly admitted, "Ok, maybe we have, but you keep questions like that to yourself. Especially when they can make others uncomfortable." Seth simply shrugged his shoulders, as Sandy turned his attention to Ryan and Trey. Ryan still had not stopped his staring contest with his plate, but his face was burning with embarrassment. Trey sat there, watching everyone else appraisingly, stopping on his little brother.

After a moment or two, Trey finally started speaking, with a chuckle, "You know, Seth, I'm actually glad you brought that up. Ryan, I've wanted to talk with you about that for a couple of weeks now, but I didn't know how to bring it up. I think you should," he added quietly.

Ryan looked up at Trey so fast Kirsten thought he may have given himself whiplash. "What?!"

Trey could see a flood of emotions and thoughts in his eyes. The loyalty to Dawn and Frank. The attraction to all of the Cohens. The hope. The fear. Trey nudged his arm with his shoulder, a comforting act they shared from almost a life time ago. "I told you before, little brother, these are the parents you have always deserved; parents that are worthy of you. I've watched you the last couple of weeks, and I know you look at them as your parents, too. It's time to give them the respect _they_ deserve as your parents."

Sandy and Kirsten took hold of each other's hands other the table. They hoped that Trey's words would have an impact on Ryan, or at least the impact they were looking for. They so wanted Ryan to accept fully his place in their family, as their son and Seth's brother. As they watched Ryan, they could see he was really considering what Trey had just said.

Ryan had to admit that Trey was right. He couldn't quite tell when it had happened, but it had happened. He did view Sandy and Kirsten as his parents. His slip up a couple of weeks all but let that cat out of the bag, and on some level he may have recognized it. However, it wasn't until Trey hit him over the head with a 2x4 did it really hit him on a conscious level.

Sandy wanted to help try to alleviate some of the tension he could tell Ryan was feeling. "You know, kid, it's never easy melding two families into one. You almost never get the "normal" family dynamics. I think what's important at this point, is that everyone at this table knows what we mean to each other and how we feel. And for now, maybe that's enough." He made a point to make eye contact with each person sitting around the table, including Trey, and hold it for a few seconds to emphasize his point.

Ryan looked down at his hands, took a deep breath, and looked up at Sandy, "I appreciate what you're saying, I do, but Trey's right. You guys have given me so much: a home, a family, people who care. I think it happened so gradually that I didn't really notice until now." He shyly looked at the three Cohens, "You guys are my family. And, um, if it's still ok, I would like to call you guys Mom and Dad."

Sandy and Kirsten beamed with pride and joy as they glanced at each other and then looked at Ryan. Sandy reached over and cupped Ryan's neck affectionately, "Not much would make your mother and I happier."

Ryan looked at them both and actually felt the joy that was evident on their faces. He even chanced a glance at Seth and saw a goofy grin on his face. He knew he had made the right decision, not only for himself, but for everyone sitting at the table.

After Kirsten dabbed at the tears of joy on her face, she looked at her boys, and told them mock sternness, "Ok, boys, finish up your dinner, or you don't get any of Maggiano's famous Spumoni ice cream." She was so happy she couldn't help teasing her kids.

Relieved that another big discussion was over, he glanced at his brothers with a mischevious glint in his eye, and they all said at once, "Yes, mother!" Sandy and Kirsten shook their heads and rolled their eyes, happy with the change in tension.

As things calmed down, Trey said a silent Thank You to whomever may be listening for how amazingly things worked out. Two years ago, he knew somehow he had to get his little brother away from the rest of the Atwoods, he just never imagined that he would have found themselves together again, and as part of this fantastic family!


	3. The First Day

There were a couple of responses to my question about whether to continue this series, that in my opinion, were a little harsh. If this story contained the Trey that was seen in the show, I would agree; Trey was not a good person and should have been kept as far away from Ryan, and Seth, as possible. However, I thought it was abundantly clear that the Trey in my universe was very different. He had made some mistakes, paid for them, had owned up to them, and is trying to change; he wants to be a better person, a brother worthy of Ryan (and by extension, Seth). So, if anything, to those reviewers, I thank you, as you have motivated me to continue this story to highlight the differences in the two Treys. I would also like to thank Mare43, for her encouragement, as well to continue writing.

* * *

Trey stood in front of the mirror, as he had been for the last 5-10 minutes. He kept running his hands over any perceived wrinkles in his shirt and tie. It was his first day of work at The Newport Group, and to say that he was nervous was an understatement. Back in Chino, he had never conceived of a scenario where he would have ever worn a shirt and tie; but here he stood. He smiled to himself as he thought back to the last couple of days and how he came to have these new clothes.

 _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback begins~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Last week, Kirsten said he could start working in a couple of days, but that was delayed to the following week. He didn't really ask why, he was enjoying the time to reconnect with Ryan and get to know Seth better. He had his suspicions that Kirsten was mostly behind the delay, to make sure that he was truly ready. Kirsten had announced one morning while they were all eating breakfast that she was going to be taking Trey to the bank and then the mall. She had asked if Seth and Ryan wanted to go, too.

Seth immediately pulled out his phone to text Summer to see if she needed him, and he prayed that she did. All the while, he was complaining about previous trips to the mall with his mother; only half-joking that he would rather do manual labor than go shopping with his mother. That earned him a dish rag thrown at him.

Ryan rolled his eyes, as he had a feeling Trey would not be enjoying his outing. He had been on many trips like this, and was always amazed at how much she was willing to pay for stuff that only he would use. He knew what was in store for his brother. Even after all this time, he still secretly liked the trips with Kirsten, as it was time they were able to enjoy just the two of them, seeing as how most times Seth never joined them. However, this time was different. It was Trey's first shopping extravaganza, and Ryan knew he needed to be there for his brother.

Trey was a little confused, "Why the mall?"

"Well, I know that you boys have already picked out some new furniture and decorations for your room and you've picked up some new clothes, but we need to get you more things."

"More things? What else could I need?" was all he could ask.

"You'll need more clothes, and we can pick out more furniture and things for your room; you know, make it your own."

"Kirsten, thanks, but I really don't need anything else." He really didn't want the Cohen's to spend any more money on him.

"Oh, yes, there is. And if you don't need them now, which you will some of it, you will need it eventually."

Trey was about to respond, but Ryan wanted to help us brother end this peacefully. He told him, "Man, don't fight with The Kirsten! She'll win eventually."

He looked at Ryan, and knew on some level that he was right. But, despite the miles of progress Trey was making, there were times when old habits came back to roost. He was starting to get a little frustrated that he didn't think Kirsten was listening to him, which was leading to him getting upset.

He turned back to Kirsten, "I _said_ , I don't need anything!"

Kirsten was a little surprised to see him getting upset so quickly, but she was able to keep her face neutral. She also knew how to handle the Atwood boys. "Well, be that as it may, we're still going. So, you have two choices: You can either come with me; or you can stay here in the house, grounded through the weekend!"

The words were out of her mouth before she even realized it. Did she just threaten to ground a 20-year old, over whom she technically had no control? Well, it was out there now, and she wasn't about to retract it.

Ryan was more than just a little surprised that things had turned south so quickly. Trey and Kirsten were in a stare down, and Ryan just looked between the two to see who was going to blink first, literally.

At first, Trey was incredulous that Kirsten had just threatened to ground him. He was still glaring at her, who was showing no signs of backing down. He was about to balk at the idea, but then he remembered his promise, and the example he would be setting for his little brother(s). He glanced at Ryan, then threw his hands up in surrender, and sighed heavily. "Fine! When do we leave?"

Ryan watched Trey in amazement. He had never seen his brother back down from anyone or anything. He had stood between Dawn's boyfriend-of-the-week's fists and him without flinching; he'd even stood up to gang members. He was impressed with this new side of his older brother.

So, Kirsten, Ryan, and Trey spent the day together. Kirsten rather enjoyed the trip. She was able to get to know Trey a little more, and she was able to get more tidbits about Ryan's younger childhood. There were so many things about Trey's reticence about accepting things she bought for him that reminded her of Ryan's first few months with them. She was delighted to see how much more comfortable Ryan was as he convinced his older brother to get various things for his room. She couldn't wait to tell Sandy!

 _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback ends~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Trey was pulled from his musings by Kirsten calling up the stairs, "Trey, hurry up! We leave in 10 minutes!" Finally, he tore himself from the mirror and made sure he had his wallet, keys, and new cell phone. As he was gathering everything together, Ryan came stumbling into his room. Trey smiled at his sleepiness. He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes, still in his sleep pants and wife-beater. He then plopped down on Trey's bed and plumped the pillows behind his head to make himself more comfortable.

Trey put his hands on his hips in mock anger, "Hey, watch it! I just made that!" Ryan simply shrugged his shoulders and smirked at his brother. Just then, Seth came in, as well. He was similarly dressed in his pajamas. He grumbled to Trey, "I know this is your first day of work, but can you please try to keep Mom quiet? Some of us are still trying to sleep. What time is it, anyway?!"

Trey glanced at his new watch, and told him, "It's 7:20, and we are about to head out."

"What?! It's not even 7:30?! I'm going back to bed. Good luck today. Try to avoid grandpa on your first day."

Trey extended his fist to Seth, "Thanks, bro!" Seth genuinely smiled at the term, as he tapped his own fist with, as it was now cemented in Seth's mind, his brother. Then he left, going back to bed.

Trey started ushering his other brother out the door, "Come on. Out. I need to get going." The smile never left Ryan's face. As he walked past Trey, he pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm really proud of you, big brother! And I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks, little brother! I'm happy to be back in your life. And I'm not blowing this chance the Cohens are giving me. I want to do better."

As they walked out into the hallway, and Trey headed downstairs to their waiting mother, Ryan made his way back to his room, with the smile still in place. He was really enjoying his new life and family!


	4. The Mall Incident

Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. It is significantly longer, so it took me longer. I also had to work out some of the things I wanted to do with this chapter.

This chapter takes place at the same time as last chapter. This is more from Ryan's point of view. There will be kind of a flashback, bringing to light an incident that somewhat references a slightly modified scene from The Brothers Grim (02x17).

* * *

Ryan was awoken by someone calling up the stairs. He rolled over to look at the clock on his bedside table: 7:10. It took him a moment or two to understand that it was his mother calling to his older brother to hurry up. His older brother. His mother. Ryan couldn't help but smile.

He realized that maybe for the first time ever, he was really happy. He had parents that cared about him, worried about him, and loved him. To the point where they grounded him, which definitely sucked, but at the same time didn't diminish his smile. He had his older brother back in his life, who really seemed to want to do well. And he was pretty happy with his second brother. Sure, he could out talk a professional auctioneer and he could be a little self-centered, but he chalked that up to the fact that he had been an only child for most of his life. Seth had proven to be a great friend, and a brother he was proud to have.

Speaking of Seth, Ryan knew he had plans with Summer later in the day, and knew that Seth would want to do something in the morning. However, being grounded greatly limits what one can do. Yeah, being grounded sucked!

If Ryan thought long and hard about it, he could probably see why his parents grounded him, but that didn't make it any easier to deal with. He wanted to go down to the Pier with Seth; he wanted to go out and celebrate Trey's first day on the job. But, that just wasn't going to happen. Being grounded definitely sucked!

And it was all because of that stupid trip to the mall….

~~~~~Begin flashback~~~~~

It was a Wednesday. Trey was going to be starting work at the Newport Group the following week. He was still getting his room situation and setup. Sandy and Kirsten had made it very clear that he could decorate it, and get whatever furniture he wanted. He was still not used to everything and tried to politely turn them down. But, they weren't having any of it.

Ryan convinced them to let him and Trey go shopping. That afternoon, they headed off to the mall, on what would be a very new experience for Trey. Kirsten ushered them out the front door, with pretty much only one rule: Try to spend no more than $5000 per store. Trey's jaw practically hit the floor when he heard the outrageous amount. He shook his head as Ryan accepted the limit without even a second thought. It only served to remind him of the life his little brother was living.

Once they got to the mall, Trey was further amazed when they would make purchases, they didn't have to carry around the bags. Most of the stores simply took their bags for them and ensured them the concierge would get their bags to their car.

After a couple of the stores, Ryan could tell that his brother was not used to buying things for himself, especially using someone else's money for himself, but most definitely not the amount of money or quality of things he saw. Ryan helped him out a little by getting some stuff for himself, so that hopefully he wouldn't feel as bad.

As the afternoon went on, Ryan realized how much he enjoyed having his older brother around again.  
Ryan no longer felt the edginess Trey used to exude, and his attitude was much more positive. If he had mentioned it to Seth, Ryan was sure he would have referred to Trey as a pod person, being that he had changed so much.

As they were walking along looking at some of the stores and enjoying each other's company again, a mischievous twinkle came into Ryan's eye. Since they were walking so close to each other, Ryan nudged Trey with his shoulder. Trey looked over to see the glint in his younger brother's eye, and the almost imperceptible smirk on his face. It only took Trey a moment to recall their tradition growing up. Especially when one of them needed cheering up, usually walking home from school, they would start bumping into each other, eventually to the point of making one of them trip or fall. It never took long after they got started for both brothers to be roaring with laughter.

Trey reciprocated with a slight nudge of his own, his own grin firmly in place. The playful shoving continued for a few minutes, and they were so lost in their own game, neither one of them realized how excited they became. It all came to a head when Ryan shoved Trey, accidentally into a display sitting outside one of the smaller stores they were walking past. Ryan hadn't shoved him very hard, it just happened that they didn't see the display and it was very easily knocked over.

Before they really realized what had happened, the earrings that were dangling from the display were strewn everywhere and Trey had ended up flat on his back. A small crowd had managed to form around them. The manager came out of the store when he heard the fracas, and upon seeing the two boys, wasn't at all pleased.

He told one of his employees to call Security right away. He then turned his attention back to the two miscreants before him, his hands on his hips. "What is going on out here?! What are you two doing?"

Ryan and Trey immediately both started to apologize. Trey was on his feet and picking up the display. Ryan started to pick up the earrings that had strayed everywhere.

It was clear the manager didn't want to hear anything they had to say, nor did he want their help. "Don't touch anything! You've both done enough! Just you wait until Security gets here!" he shouted.

Ryan's stomach started churning at that. He worriedly looked over at his brother, but Trey had an unreadable expression on his face. Just then, two security guards showed up and asked the manager what had happened.

He pointed to Ryan and Trey, "I want these two out of here! Just look at what they did! It's going to take all afternoon to clean this mess up!"

One of the guards turned to his partner and told him, "Why don't you take these two back to the office and get their statements. I'll stay here and get the details from the manager."

The other guard nodded and waved the boys forward to head to the security office. As they were walking away, they heard the manager shout, "And you might want to make sure they didn't steal anything!"

Ryan knew enough to keep his mouth shut, although it took everything he had to do so. He looked at Trey and was a little surprised that he didn't turn around and say anything. He could tell, though, that Trey's jaw was tightly clenched. Despite the nervousness he felt, Ryan was very proud of his brother for not turning on the manager.

Once they made it to the office, the guard that accompanied them ushered them into a small room with a table and a few chairs. It eerily reminded both boys of an interrogation room. They didn't like it a bit. They both glanced at each other, and they knew what the other was thinking about.

Once the guard left and closed the door, Ryan dropped his head into his hand, "Damn! Mom and Dad are going to kill us!"

Trey rested a hand on his back. "Now, calm down, little brother. Don't say a word, and let me handle this. We might be able to keep this from getting too much out of hand."

The guard came back in with a pad of paper and sat down. He wrote down their names, and other information for his report. Once he was finished with the preliminary information, he said, "Ok. Why don't you tell me what happened?"

They looked at each other, Trey again silently telling Ryan to remain silent. They both realized that this whole incident was started over a silly, stupid little game. They doubted very much whether this guard was going to believe them.

Finally, Trey spoke up. "Well, nothing happened really. My brother and I were just walking along, and we bumped into that display. We're really sorry. Honestly, we didn't mean to knock anything over, or to cause any damage." He took a deep breath, and again with clenched teeth, said, "And we certainly didn't steal anything!"

He then stood up and emptied his pockets. He looked at Ryan to get him to do the same thing. The guard looked through everything from their pockets: Ryan's phone, their keys, wallets, and that was pretty much it. Nothing from the store to indicate the manager's claim they stole anything.

The guard took several more minutes asking them other questions and making notes. After a while, the other guard came into the little interrogation room, and called their guard out so they could confer.

The longer they stayed out of the room, the more nervous Ryan got. He started bouncing his knee with nervous energy. He then started biting his nails. Trey noticed how his brother was working himself up, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Ryan suddenly realized what he was doing, folded his hands in his lap, and gave Trey a little self-deprecating smile.

After a few more minutes, both guards came back into the room. The guard that spoke with the manager spoke first, "Ok. Well, based on eyewitness reports, there's nothing to corroborate the manager's claims that either of you stole anything. And based on what you told my partner here, that part of the story matches up."

The second guard took over. "However, other witnesses report that you weren't 'just walking along' when you knocked the display over." Both boys immediately looked at each other.

Trey looked at both guards, and sighed, "Yeah, I know. It was stupid, we know that now. I haven't seen my little brother in a while, and it was a stupid, little game we used to play. We were just having some fun, and it got out of hand. If you let us go, I promise it will never happen again."

The first guard nodded his head, assuming it may have been something innocent that got out of hand. "Ok. Here's what we're going to do. Since nothing illegal took place, we aren't going to press charges, or anything like that. However, we are going to insist that you not come back for the next 3 months."

Both Ryan and Trey sighed in relief. 3 months they could live with; as long as they didn't press charges. Trey responded, eagerly, "Ok. That we can do. We won't be back for 3 months."

The second guard asked, "Do you need us to call your parents?"

For the first time, Ryan spoke up, almost too earnestly, "NO! We, uh, parked in the west parking garage." Ryan tried his best to ignore the glare being sent by his older brother.

"Ok. We'll just escort you to your car."

Trey and Ryan were all too eager to get out of that particular situation, as they made their way to the valet to retrieve their car.

Once they made it out of the parking garage, and back on the road, Ryan said, "Man, am I glad that is over!"

"So am I, little brother. So am I." He sighed heavily, and continued, "So, what are we going to tell our…., your…., Sandy and Kirsten?" He suddenly found it a little awkward to know how to refer to them. He understood that they were Ryan's parents now. But what did that make them to him?

Ryan thought about it for a couple of minutes. "You know what…. Let me handle this. I'll deal with them."

~~~~~Jump to the next day~~~~~

The car ride home was silent. They had just left the mall, again, under similar circumstances as yesterday. Ryan could tell, even from the back seat behind Trey, that Kirsten was pissed. She was madder than he had seen her in a very long time, especially directed at him. Despite how mad she was, however, he wasn't all that upset.

He thought back to how mad both Sandy and Kirsten were during the whole Oliver debacle, and how upset, nervous, and worried he was about, well, everything. He was a little nervous now, but nothing like it was then. Part of him wondered why that was.

As they pulled into the gated community, up the street, and into the driveway, his nervousness did go up a little bit. But again, nothing like Oliver.

He and Trey silently got out of the car, and followed their angry mother to the front door. She opened it, and, as they followed her through, she pointed. "Kitchen! Bar stools! Now! I'm going to go find your father."

As they quickly walked into the other room, she shut the door, not very quietly. Yeah, all indications led Ryan to believe that was indeed the maddest she had ever been at him. He didn't like that he was the one that made her so upset.

As they sat quietly at the kitchen counter, Trey started bouncing his knee. Then, he started to bite his nails. Ryan, however, was simply sitting there, with his hands folded in front of him.

Finally, Trey asked, "How can you not be nervous? She was so mad. I am so out of here!" He dropped his head into his hands.

Ryan practically rolled his eyes. "They aren't going to kick you out. Trust me. I've messed up worse than this. Yeah, their upset. Yeah, they'll lecture, maybe yell. They'll ground us, and then it will be over."

Trey smiled to himself. He was really starting to see how well his little brother was melding into his new family. He also chuckled to himself about the absurdity of someone trying to ground him. Kirsten had just threatened that very thing earlier in the day, but he never thought it would have ever entered into the realm of possibility.

He was brought out of his musings as he heard Sandy and Kirsten coming down the hall from his study. Kirsten came in with her arms crossed. Ryan and Trey glanced at her, and they could tell that she wasn't as mad, but she was still pretty upset. Ryan didn't think Sandy was that mad, but he sure did look serious.

Sandy put the official looking document Kirsten had received from the guards at the mall when they were escorted back to their cars onto the counter. He then addressed the two brothers. "So, your mother tells me you guys had some excitement at the mall today, and yesterday actually. Care to tell us about it?"

Ryan gave his older brother one of his sideways glances, and then started talking, "Look, this is my fault. Trey and I were just horsing around at the mall yesterday. It was all innocent; we didn't mean to do anything. The guards tried to tell us not to come back for a couple of months. I told Trey not to worry about it, that I would tell you guys. I'm sorry I didn't; I guess I was just afraid of what would happen with Trey. I just got him back and didn't want to take the chance of something happening to him. I didn't really think they would know we were there, and that we would be out of there before anyone in security would see us."

Sandy and Kirsten looked at each other. As mad as they were at their kids for not telling them about what happened, they could understand maybe why they didn't say anything. They could understand it a little bit; that doesn't mean they agreed with it.

Kirsten was the first to speak, "Ok, Ryan, we understand that you are worried about something happening to Trey. But you have to understand that this situation is the very thing that might have caused something to happen to him."

Sandy continued, "And lying to us is completely unacceptable. I thought we had covered this territory before. We see how this could have started with something very innocent, and we are glad that nothing happened legally. But if you would have told us about this from the very beginning, we could have helped you even more."

Kirsten moved forward and leaned on the counter, "You should have called us right away, as soon as the guards took you to their offices. Your father or I could have made it up there in less than 15 minutes."

Both boys nodded their heads solemnly. "I guess we should have. We just weren't thinking," Ryan admitted.

Sandy jumped on that immediately, "That's right. Neither of you were thinking. But you'll have the next two weeks to think about this and other situations a little better!"

Trey's confusion was a little evident on his face, "Two weeks? What's two weeks?"

Ryan knew it would be something like that, but he wasn't expecting his outburst of shock, "Two weeks!? But Dad, we were going to go out Monday night to celebrate Trey's first day on the job!"

Again, Trey asked, "What about two weeks?"

Sandy didn't mean to outright ignore Trey's questions, but he wanted to deal with his middle son's objection. "Well, you should have thought about that earlier. We can still get takeout and have a little celebration here, and when your two weeks are over, you can maybe think about going out then. But Monday night, you're stuck here." His eyebrows left no room for negotiation.

"What's going on for two weeks?" Trey just wanted his question answered. He was so confused.

Ryan turned to his brother and answered him. "Two weeks. We're grounded for two weeks."

Trey just kind of blinked a couple of times, mostly out of surprise. "Oh. …..ok."

Ryan smirked at his brother's face, "Yeah, that was my reaction the first time, too."

Sandy and Kirsten wanted to drive home a couple of other points. "Ok, boys," Kirsten said, to get their attention. "Trey, one of the things that we've been trying to teach Ryan is that he doesn't have to carry the load anymore. That's what we're here for. We're all a family; now the five of us. It might be a little awkward at first, but, just know, that we're here for you the same way we're here for Ryan and Seth." Kirsten could tell the way Trey was shifting in his seat a little bit, one of his other tells, how uncomfortable he was. She decided to hand the reigns to Sandy.

"I just wanted to recap the issues we have with this… little escapade of yours." He paused and raised his eyebrows to emphasize his point, and Trey couldn't help but follow them up and realized just how hypnotizing they could be. "Lying is simply inexcusable. One of you should have told us. And Trey, I know Ryan said that he would take care of it, but you still could have told us. Sometimes that's the responsibility of the older brother. Ryan, you should not have put Trey in that position. And if either one of you would have called us when it first happened, we wouldn't be where we are right now. And, finally, Trey, this is more of a caution. You have to be more careful in the future. If the mall or the store had wanted to press charges, while it doesn't sound like it would have gone very far, it could have presented further complication with your probation."

Sandy and Kirsten watched both boys somewhat sulk into their chairs, as the weight of their little stunt came down on them. They looked at each other and decided to wrap up this little session.

Kirsten went into the other room for a moment, as Sandy said, "Alright, Ryan, give me your phone and keys. You will get them back in two weeks." With a sigh and a glance at Trey, Ryan stood and fished the requested items out of his pocket, and dropped them into Sandy's waiting hand.

Kirsten came back into the room with a little gift bag, walked over to stand next to Trey, and set the bag down in front of him. "We were going to give you this later, but this seems a little more appropriate." When he just kind of looked at the bag, and then back at Sandy and Kirsten, she prodded him, "Go ahead. Look inside."

He did as instructed, although cautiously. As he saw the bags contents, his mouth opened in surprise. He reached in and pulled out a new phone. Just like the one Ryan had just handed over. As he just looked at the new device, he didn't really know what to say at the moment.

Finally, his brain caught up with him. "Guys, I can't accept this. I can't pay you back, at least for a while."

Sandy waved off his concern, "Nonsense. You're family. And even if you weren't," there was another one of those eyebrow wags, "the cost of the line is on our family plan, so it's negligible. You'll need it to keep in touch and for emergencies."

Kirsten then took the phone from his hand. "But we'll be holding on to this for a few days. When you start work on Monday, you can take it with you. But only for emergencies; if you need to call me for anything. You will not use it for anything else. And when we get home, you'll give it back to me or your father. In two weeks, you'll get it back to keep, when your brother gets his phone back. Is that clear?" Again, she raised her eyebrows to emphasize her point, but it wasn't as dramatic as Sandy's.

Trey hadn't missed that Kirsten had referred to Sandy as his father, too. That was weird. It was nice, but weird. From the little bit that he could get Ryan to tell him, Sandy seemed like a pretty good guy, a pretty good father. From what Trey had witnessed first-hand, he seemed to agree with his brother's assessment. He could probably get used to that; it was allowed to continue.

Both Trey and Ryan nodded at her. Finally, Sandy told them to go to their rooms. Although, Sandy and Kirsten were under no illusions that they were going to stay in their separate rooms.

Once the boys were out of the kitchen, Sandy pulled Kirsten into his arms and held her tight. Now that she had managed to flush her parental fury, she found that she was shaking a little from the adrenaline. She was glad that she was in the arms of her husband. "I think we got through to them a little," Sandy said, quietly.

"I hope so", she responded from somewhere in his chest. Now that she had her three boys, she couldn't imagine life without any one of them.

~~~~~End flashback~~~~~

Still smiling, Ryan climbed out of bed. He wanted to see his brother off on his first day. He went into Trey's room, right next to his. He then plopped down on his brother's bed. He smiled at the look on Trey's face, and how he put his arms on his hips.

When Trey told him, "Hey, watch it! I just made that!", Ryan just had to smirk back. Ryan was even happier when he saw Seth come in, wiping the sleep from his eyes. He knew that Seth, too, wanted to see their brother off.

He wasn't really paying any attention to what they were talking about; something about how early it was. He was just happy how both of them were reacting to each other. He was a little worried how Seth would react to another brother in the family.

When Trey extended his fist to Seth, and called him 'bro', Ryan was even more at ease and thrilled at their budding relationship. After Seth left, and Trey was ushering Ryan out the door, he could not get the smile of his face.

As he walked past Trey, he pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm really proud of you, big brother! And I'm glad you're here."

"Thanks, little brother! I'm happy to be back in your life. And I'm not blowing this chance the Cohens are giving me. I want to do better."

As Trey shut his door and headed downstairs to their waiting mother, he went back into his room. He knew he wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. He was much too happy with his life right now. Ok, so maybe this grounding wasn't going to be so bad. He had his family there with him!

* * *

Please give me ideas of what you would like to see. I would like to continue this series; I just need some ideas. Thanks in advance!


	5. The Reveal

I'm not sure any real prelude is needed for this chapter, so without further ado, the latest installment of The Brothers...

* * *

It had been a few months since the whole mall episode. Ryan and Trey had long since been ungrounded. All three boys had gone out and celebrated Trey's job at the Newport Group. He was really enjoying the overall experience. Some of the departments he liked more than others, but he still appreciated the knowledge he was gaining.

He never thought he would be enjoying working, but he was. He periodically had to pinch himself to make sure this wasn't dreaming. If he had been dreaming, though, he would have thought one particular Saturday was a nightmare.

This one Saturday in question started out like many others: a lazy start, the whole family spending it somewhat together (or at least everyone was at home). It was late in the morning; Ryan and Seth had just gotten up not long before. They were enjoying a leisurely PlayStation battle, when the doorbell rang. Trey was already coming down the stairs and called out, "I've got it!"

As he opened the door, his demeanor got a whole lot worse. He had just gotten up himself, and was no longer looking forward to the rest of the day. "Oh, God! What are you doing here?!"

While he didn't shout the exclamation, Ryan heard it nonetheless and was immediately on alert. He didn't know necessarily who was at the door, but he knew it couldn't be good. His head snapped in the direction of the front door, while simultaneously hitting pause on his controller.

Seth wasn't too keen on that. "Hey! What's the dealio! Just when I'm winning you decide to 'act' distracted to throw me off!" His indignation was gone in an instant when he saw Ryan's posture; he then started getting a little nervous himself.

Quietly, without taking his eyes away from the direction of the foyer, he told Seth, "Quick! Go get Mom and Dad!"

Seth stood, to emphasize the point the he did not like not knowing what was going on. "What? Why? Ry, what's going on?"

Standing himself and turning to look at him, Seth didn't like the look of fear in Ryan's face. Urgently, Ryan told him, "Seth, just go! In fact, go to their patio door by the pool; it will be quicker."

Seth still didn't understand. "But, why? Who's at the door?!"

Ryan practically started pushing Seth towards the back door. "Seth, I don't know. I just know we need Mom and Dad in here now! And I don't really want whoever's there to know we're here!"

Suddenly, the light went on for Seth. "I get it now! Stealth! We need stealth! This I got. Remember: Camp Takaho Capture the Flag All Time Champ! Mom and Dad will be here before you know it", then stage whispering and pointing to the foyer, "and you-know-who will never know I was here!" Under different circumstances, Ryan would have grinned at Seth's over-reaction. But this was no laughing matter.

Now, with Seth out of the way for a few minutes on a mission of his own, he slowly made his way down the hallway towards the front door. His first glimpse of the front door didn't reveal who was outside standing on the front porch, but he could see Trey; his arms were crossed in front of his chest and his posture shouted 'DANGER'! The nervousness in his stomach just went up a notch.

As he walked further into the foyer, he was able to see fully who was at the door, and knew that Trey's reaction was completely and wholeheartedly warranted: Dawn! He knew he would have to deal with her, but he had kept wishing the day would be put off. He still wasn't ready to deal with how he felt about her, and the multiple times she had abandoned him. And based on Trey's stalwart position at the front door, he knew that Trey had felt the same way.

While his brain was telling him to run away, upstairs to his room, his legs just wouldn't move. He could hear them talking but his brain wasn't registering what they were saying, as though his head was wrapped in cotton.

Then, Ryan's heart started beating faster when Dawn shifted her focus from Trey to him. "Ryan, baby! I'm so happy to see you!"

Trey whipped around and when he saw the fear on his brother's face, his heart broke for him. He was standing in front of Ryan in an instant, with his hands on his shoulders trying to provide a connection which would ground him. When Ryan continued staring at Dawn with that look of terror, he shifted so that he was in his direct line of vision, blocking out the cause of his brother's current state.

He quietly tried to calm Ryan, "Hey, little brother. How you doing?" When he didn't get a response, he tried again a little more forcefully. "Hey, LB, where's Mom and Dad?"

Just then, as if on cue, Sandy and Kirsten came rushing down the hall and around the corner. "We're right here. What's going on?"

Trey had pointed at the door, and Sandy, too, thought this day was going to get a whole lot worse. He moved further into the foyer and towards the front door, in full lawyer mode. Rather pointedly, he asked, "Dawn! What are you doing here?"

Meanwhile, Kirsten saw Ryan's ashen face and was immediately on alert. She took hold of his arm and gently started making circles on his back, in a soothing motion. Suddenly, Ryan turned and grabbed hold of Kirsten, almost in a stranglehold. Kirsten was startled for only a moment, but quickly embraced her blond-haired son as tightly as she could. She kept running a soothing hand over the back of his head, which kept it on her shoulder. She was whispering softly into the back of his head.

Though rare, she enjoyed these opportunities to comfort her children. She remembered being able to comfort Seth more often when he was younger. As he got older, of course those times became fewer and farther between. When Ryan came into their home and family, there were only a handful of times where he allowed her to comfort him. She hoped that if Trey ever needed her comforting touch, he would allow it.

When Trey heard Dawn's response to Sandy's question, he nearly lost his tentative grasp on his emotions. She had the audacity to show up, out of the blue, "wanting to just see her boys", as she put it. Well, after seeing how her visit affected his new family, he had had enough of her involvement in their lives.

Trey strode up and stood next to Sandy and beat him to the punch. "No! We're done." Trey wasn't allowing the hurt in Dawn's eyes affect him this time. Pointing at his both of his brothers, one of whom was still buried in their mothers embrace and the other uncharacteristically quiet in the background with wide eyes, he said, "Look at what happens when you show up! Today was supposed to be a good day. I'm not going to let you screw us up anymore!"

Dawn started crying, "But, you're my boys!"

Trey jumped on that immediately. "No, we're not! Not anymore, at least." Pointing to Kirsten still cradling and soothing Ryan, he said, "That's what parents do, Dawn! They support their kids. Ever since I've been out of prison and staying here, these two have been better parents to me then you and Frank ever were. A couple of months ago, Ryan and I got into what could have been some serious trouble at the mall. We weren't kicked out. We weren't beaten. We got a lecture about making better decisions, and then we were grounded. Something else real parents do; they help their kids to make better decisions without abandoning them at the drop of a hat."

Trey took a deep breath before continuing. He called to Ryan to get his attention. While he turned his head to look at him, Ryan never moved to leave Kirsten's embrace. "Ryan, I want you to listen to this, too." He then turned his attention back to Dawn. "The last couple of months, I've seriously been thinking about something, and have periodically been asking Sandy questions about it. And this whole situation just clinched it. Ever since I've gotten here, I can see how close this family is; how Sandy and Kirsten love and care for Ryan, and Seth. And the last few months, I've even felt it myself." He then turned and faced, what in his mind had become his new family.

"Ryan, I've reached a decision that will directly affect you, but I don't think you'll object; it's really more of a formality. Like I said, I've seen that Sandy and Kirsten have become your parents." He took another deep breath before dropping the bombshell, especially on Dawn. "Sandy and Kirsten, I would like you to adopt us."

Dawn was furious now. "What?! You ungrateful, little –"

Before she could finish that statement, Sandy stepped in-between Trey and Dawn, and with righteous, parental fury, told her, "Careful, Dawn! That's now my son you're talking to!"

She tried to match his fury, but failed. "But they're my kids!"

"Not anymore!" Sandy fired back. "You'll be hearing from our attorney." And with that, he shut the door on Dawn, hopefully for the final time. Sandy wasn't going to allow her to upset any of his sons, or anyone else in his family.

While Sandy was cutting Dawn out of his life, Ryan had managed to disentangle himself from Kirsten, but she kept a comforting hand on his back. "Trey, are you serious?!" Ryan asked, quietly.

"Dude, I've told you before: These are your parents in spirit. May as well make in fact, too." Trey then turned to his other brother, "Seth, is this OK with you?"

Ever since Trey had revealed his little surprise, he had a grin on his face. And when his, no _their_ father, closed the door on Dawn, his grin turned into a big, goofy, tooth-filled smile. "Dude, of course it's ok. In fact, this is awesome! I think I've said this before, but I've always wanted a brother, and now I have two! And what's better, an older brother to teach me all kinds of cool stuff!"

Trey couldn't help but grin back at Seth's excitement. "And what exactly would I be teaching you?"

Joining in the fun, Kirsten put her hands on her hips in mock seriousness, "Yes, Seth, pray tell, what would that be?"

Sandy raised his eyebrows, as well, expecting an answer.

Looking at their parents, Seth thought better of answering that question in their presence. "Um, never mind about that." Then in a stage whisper directed at Trey, "We'll talk later."

Sandy and Kirsten chucked at their dark-haired son's antics. Kirsten then turned her attention back to Ryan, putting a hand on his back again. "How are you doing, sweetheart?" She could still feel him shaking a little bit.

"I think I'm ok. Or, at least I will be." Looking at both Sandy and Kirsten, he told them, "Trey's right, though. You guys have been my parents for a while now, and you always will be. And like he said, may as well make it official." He gave them a sheepish grin.

Sandy couldn't help it anymore and, as best he could, pulled all three of his children and wife into a big family hug.

Even before he and Kirsten had gotten married, he had always wanted a large family. After Seth was born, however, life got in the way. They had to move from Berkley to Newport when Kirsten's mother had gotten sick, and time got even scarcer. It was only by chance that Ryan came along and became their second son. He never would have thought that Ryan's older brother would come along and become his third son, but here he was.

He couldn't be happier! Who knew what the future would hold for his family…!

* * *

Please let me know what you thought! And as always, let me know of possible scenarios you would like to see the now three Cohen brothers get into! Thanks!


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